Before starting this study, I had a different plan. My plan was to figure out if hummingbirds react to other hummingbird calls. I would have one week with just a feeder on my porch and another week with the feeder in the same place, but with me playing calls over a speaker as well. After about 4 days into the first week, I realized that I had seen only one hummingbird, and the nectar level in the feeder had barely gone down. Throughout that week, I didn't see any more hummingbirds and by the start of the next week, I realized that my nectar level hadn't changed at all. I came to the conclusion that the hummingbirds had migrated, and that I would have to come up with a different plan for my study. Because I had hummingbirds coming to my porch all summer, I still wanted to study my original subject. So I changed my question to:
Introduction: I picked my question because I have noticed a lot of hummingbirds around my house and I always thought they were so cool. Since they are usually small, I always wondered if they had to fight against bigger hummingbirds for nectar or other birds for territory. Hummingbirds are very aggressive in general because they can’t afford to share their nectar. They have to fly a long way to find food, and with their wings beating 20 - 70 times per second that takes a lot of energy.
Question: Do smaller hummingbirds have to be more aggressive because of their size?
Independent/Dependent Variable: An independent variable is the thing the researcher changes. A dependent variable is the thing the researcher measures. In my study, the independent variable is the size of the hummingbirds and the dependent variable is the aggression of the hummingbirds.
Hypothesis: I think that the smaller hummingbirds will have to be more aggressive because of their size.
Hypothesis support: As stated in the introduction, hummingbirds are aggressive, and most have to protect their territory. They also need lots of fuel in order to survive. Survival becomes more difficult, the smaller the bird, because of predators and because of the additional energy it takes to get to the nearest food source.
Background Info: Hummingbirds are very small birds, but they have the power of hovering, which can be helpful for getting nectar from flowers. There is a disadvantage to hovering too, it takes a lot of energy. For a hummingbird to hover, depending on size and weight, they have to beat their wings 20 - 70 times per second! In order to fuel that energy, they drink nectar from flowers and eat bugs from those flowers for protein.
Methods & Materials: I will collect data about 5 different species of hummingbirds from online bird sites. Then I will create a bar graph that shows the aggression level of those hummingbirds. I will include their general size, cool facts, and when and how they are aggressive.
Data -
Ruby Throated Hummingbird: The male Ruby Throated Hummingbird is green from head to tail with a Ruby colored throat (hence the name). The females are just green. When fully grown, it's 2.8 - 3.5 inches. Even with being that small, it can beat its wings roughly 53 times per second. Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are very used to humans being around. Sometimes they even make their nests in human items.
Rufous Hummingbird: Male Rufous Hummingbirds are very bright. These hummingbirds are another super small species measuring 2.8 - 3.5 inches when fully grown. They have a neon orange color on their back and stomach and a reddish orange throat. The females are green with reddish brown on their tails and wings and an orange spot on their throat. They like to breed in large open areas such as parks, fields, and yards. Rufous Hummingbirds are super fast. While hovering, they will beat their wings an incredible 52 - 62 beats per second!
Buff Bellied Hummingbird: The Buff Bellied Hummingbird is small, clocking in at 3.9 - 4.3 inches when fully grown. It has green upper-parts, a red bill that changes to black on the tip, a reddish brown tail, and a cinnamon belly. It likes to breed near Texas and its habitat is open woodlands.
Blue Throated Hummingbird: The Blue Throated Hummingbird is the largest hummingbird north of Mexico. It's fully grown size is 4.3 - 4.7 inches. The Blue Throated Hummingbird is dull except for its blue throat. It has green wings, a green back and a gray underside. It is a very vocal bird. I has a high pitched call that is heard in the summer around mountain canyons. They will go as far north as southeastern Arizona for migration, where they are usually the dominant hummingbird. Although this is one of the bigger hummingbirds, it still manages to beat it's wings around 23 times per second while hovering. The Blue Throated Hummingbird drinks nectar and eats small invertebrates such as flying insects and spiders.
Magnificent Hummingbird: Magnificent Hummingbirds are named after their incredible looks. They used to be called Rivoli's Hummingbirds until the 1980’s. They are 4.3 - 5.5 inches when fully grown. Males have iridescent purple crowns, greenish blue throats, and black bellies. Females have green backs, grayish stomachs, and a white streak behind their eye. Their nests are 9-10 feet out from the trunk of a tree, on a horizontal branch which is at least 20 feet from the ground.
About Their Aggression -
Ruby Throated Hummingbird: Male Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are aggressive toward feeders and flowers. Sometimes they end up getting into dog fights and chases sometimes resulting in jabs from the beak. While the Ruby Throated Hummingbird will attack, it will also yield. One of the hummingbirds it will always yield to is the super aggressive Rufous Hummingbird from Georgia down to Mexico.
Rufous Hummingbird: Rufous Hummingbirds will tirelessly chase other hummingbirds away from their territory even if it's just a short stop while migrating. They have even been seen to attack chipmunks getting too close. Rufous Hummingbirds are hands down the feistiest hummingbirds in North America. They relentlessly attack at feeders and flowers, going after even the large hummingbirds from the southwest which can double their weight! Don't get too close!
Buff Bellied Hummingbird:
Not much is known about the Buff Bellied Hummingbirds behavior, especially toward other birds. All I could find toward aggression was that they were pretty calm. The Buff Bellied Hummingbird is said to be the least studied hummingbird in North America.
Blue Throated Hummingbird: Blue Throated Hummingbirds have an interesting way of driving away birds, they will form a mob and then go after the now quite frightened bird. They use their interesting vocals too to warn off other birds or to defend territory. This incredibly aggressive hummingbird has been know to chase off even the 20 - 25 inch Northern Goshawk.
Magnificent Hummingbird: Magnificent Hummingbird aggression varies. The males will be highly territorial in some areas, and in others, they won't be territorial at all. It depends on how much food is around. The Magnificent Hummingbird is a “trapliner” hummingbird which means that they circle around widely scattered flower patches.
All hummingbirds can see the violet spectrum, a spectrum that people can't see.
Ruby Throated Hummingbird: Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are very used to humans being around. Sometimes they even make their nests in human items. The oldest Ruby Throated Hummingbird ever recorded was 9 years 1 month old.
Blue Throated Hummingbird: The oldest Blue Throated Hummingbird ever recorded was 12 years old.
Magnificent Hummingbird: The Magnificent Hummingbird has been known to mate with other hummingbirds such as the Blue-throated Hummingbird, Broad-billed hummingbird, and the Violet-crowned Hummingbird. The Magnificent Hummingbird has one of the fastest heart rates of any vertebrate. Their heart rate ranges from 420 to 1,200 beats per minute.
Conclusion: My Hypothesis was partially supported. Some of the hummingbirds that were small were very aggressive, but others weren’t as aggressive as I expected them to be. I now think that a hummingbird's size doesn’t influence their aggression as much as their environment does. What matters is how much food they have, what birds are around them, and if they have a lot of predators, because that is going to influence whether the hummingbird will survive. If I were to do this project again I would try to make the different hummingbird bars in my graph different colors. I would also have a reason that I chose my different species of hummingbirds and not pick random species that looked cool. If you do this project, try to get data from different sites about the species to see if there are any differences.
Bibliography: "Anna's Hummingbirds in the Fight of the Century!" Flickr. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. "Arı Kuşu / Kuş Türleri Resimleri." Arı Kuşu / Kuş Türleri Resimleri. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. "BirdNote." BirdNote. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Blue-throated Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "BluethroatedHummingbirdp." BluethroatedHummingbirdp. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Buff-bellied Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Magnificent Hummingbird - EBirdr." EBirdr. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Magnificent Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Main Page." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival Bucket List - Birds and Blooms." Birds and Blooms. N.p., 12 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Ruby-throated Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Rufous Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. "Rufous Hummingbird Photo: Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus Rufus) at Galen | the Internet Bird Collection." Rufous Hummingbird Photo: Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus Rufus) at Galen | the Internet Bird Collection. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Before starting this study, I had a different plan. My plan was to figure out if hummingbirds react to other hummingbird calls. I would have one week with just a feeder on my porch and another week with the feeder in the same place, but with me playing calls over a speaker as well. After about 4 days into the first week, I realized that I had seen only one hummingbird, and the nectar level in the feeder had barely gone down. Throughout that week, I didn't see any more hummingbirds and by the start of the next week, I realized that my nectar level hadn't changed at all. I came to the conclusion that the hummingbirds had migrated, and that I would have to come up with a different plan for my study. Because I had hummingbirds coming to my porch all summer, I still wanted to study my original subject. So I changed my question to:
Introduction:
I picked my question because I have noticed a lot of hummingbirds around my house and I always thought they were so cool. Since they are usually small, I always wondered if they had to fight against bigger hummingbirds for nectar or other birds for territory. Hummingbirds are very aggressive in general because they can’t afford to share their nectar. They have to fly a long way to find food, and with their wings beating 20 - 70 times per second that takes a lot of energy.
Question:
Do smaller hummingbirds have to be more aggressive because of their size?
Independent/Dependent Variable:
An independent variable is the thing the researcher changes. A dependent variable is the thing the researcher measures. In my study, the independent variable is the size of the hummingbirds and the dependent variable is the aggression of the hummingbirds.
Hypothesis:
I think that the smaller hummingbirds will have to be more aggressive because of their size.
Hypothesis support:
As stated in the introduction, hummingbirds are aggressive, and most have to protect their territory. They also need lots of fuel in order to survive. Survival becomes more difficult, the smaller the bird, because of predators and because of the additional energy it takes to get to the nearest food source.
Background Info:
Hummingbirds are very small birds, but they have the power of hovering, which can be helpful for getting nectar from flowers. There is a disadvantage to hovering too, it takes a lot of energy. For a hummingbird to hover, depending on size and weight, they have to beat their wings 20 - 70 times per second! In order to fuel that energy, they drink nectar from flowers and eat bugs from those flowers for protein.
Methods & Materials:
I will collect data about 5 different species of hummingbirds from online bird sites. Then I will create a bar graph that shows the aggression level of those hummingbirds. I will include their general size, cool facts, and when and how they are aggressive.
Data -
Ruby Throated Hummingbird:
The male Ruby Throated Hummingbird is green from head to tail with a Ruby colored throat (hence the name). The females are just green. When fully grown, it's 2.8 - 3.5 inches. Even with being that small, it can beat its wings roughly 53 times per second. Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are very used to humans being around. Sometimes they even make their nests in human items.
Rufous Hummingbird:
Male Rufous Hummingbirds are very bright. These hummingbirds are another super small species measuring 2.8 - 3.5 inches when fully grown. They have a neon orange color on their back and stomach and a reddish orange throat. The females are green with reddish brown on their tails and wings and an orange spot on their throat. They like to breed in large open areas such as parks, fields, and yards. Rufous Hummingbirds are super fast. While hovering, they will beat their wings an incredible 52 - 62 beats per second!
Buff Bellied Hummingbird:
The Buff Bellied Hummingbird is small, clocking in at 3.9 - 4.3 inches when fully grown. It has green upper-parts, a red bill that changes to black on the tip, a reddish brown tail, and a cinnamon belly. It likes to breed near Texas and its habitat is open woodlands.
Blue Throated Hummingbird:
The Blue Throated Hummingbird is the largest hummingbird north of Mexico. It's fully grown size is 4.3 - 4.7 inches. The Blue Throated Hummingbird is dull except for its blue throat. It has green wings, a green back and a gray underside. It is a very vocal bird. I has a high pitched call that is heard in the summer around mountain canyons. They will go as far north as southeastern Arizona for migration, where they are usually the dominant hummingbird. Although this is one of the bigger hummingbirds, it still manages to beat it's wings around 23 times per second while hovering. The Blue Throated Hummingbird drinks nectar and eats small invertebrates such as flying insects and spiders.
Magnificent Hummingbird:
Magnificent Hummingbirds are named after their incredible looks. They used to be called Rivoli's Hummingbirds until the 1980’s. They are 4.3 - 5.5 inches when fully grown. Males have iridescent purple crowns, greenish blue throats, and black bellies. Females have green backs, grayish stomachs, and a white streak behind their eye. Their nests are 9-10 feet out from the trunk of a tree, on a horizontal branch which is at least 20 feet from the ground.
About Their Aggression -
Ruby Throated Hummingbird:
Male Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are aggressive toward feeders and flowers. Sometimes they end up getting into dog fights and chases sometimes resulting in jabs from the beak. While the Ruby Throated Hummingbird will attack, it will also yield. One of the hummingbirds it will always yield to is the super aggressive Rufous Hummingbird from Georgia down to Mexico.
Rufous Hummingbird:
Rufous Hummingbirds will tirelessly chase other hummingbirds away from their territory even if it's just a short stop while migrating. They have even been seen to attack chipmunks getting too close. Rufous Hummingbirds are hands down the feistiest hummingbirds in North America. They relentlessly attack at feeders and flowers, going after even the large hummingbirds from the southwest which can double their weight! Don't get too close!
Buff Bellied Hummingbird:
Not much is known about the Buff Bellied Hummingbirds behavior, especially toward other birds. All I could find toward aggression was that they were pretty calm. The Buff Bellied Hummingbird is said to be the least studied hummingbird in North America.
Blue Throated Hummingbird:
Blue Throated Hummingbirds have an interesting way of driving away birds, they will form a mob and then go after the now quite frightened bird. They use their interesting vocals too to warn off other birds or to defend territory. This incredibly aggressive hummingbird has been know to chase off even the 20 - 25 inch Northern Goshawk.
Magnificent Hummingbird:
Magnificent Hummingbird aggression varies. The males will be highly territorial in some areas, and in others, they won't be territorial at all. It depends on how much food is around. The Magnificent Hummingbird is a “trapliner” hummingbird which means that they circle around widely scattered flower patches.
Graph -
Ruby Throated Hummingbird: Size: 2.8 - 3.5 Aggression level: 4
Rufous Hummingbird: Size: 2.8 - 3.5 Aggression level: 8
Buff Bellied Hummingbird: Size: 3.9 - 4.3 Aggression level: 2
Blue Throated Hummingbird: Size: 4.3 - 4.7 Aggression level: 10
Magnificent Hummingbird: Size: 4.3 - 5.5 Aggression level: 6
Cool Facts -
All hummingbirds can see the violet spectrum, a spectrum that people can't see.
Ruby Throated Hummingbird:
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are very used to humans being around. Sometimes they even make their nests in human items. The oldest Ruby Throated Hummingbird ever recorded was 9 years 1 month old.
Blue Throated Hummingbird:
The oldest Blue Throated Hummingbird ever recorded was 12 years old.
Magnificent Hummingbird:
The Magnificent Hummingbird has been known to mate with other hummingbirds such as the Blue-throated Hummingbird, Broad-billed hummingbird, and the Violet-crowned Hummingbird. The Magnificent Hummingbird has one of the fastest heart rates of any vertebrate. Their heart rate ranges from 420 to 1,200 beats per minute.
Conclusion:
My Hypothesis was partially supported. Some of the hummingbirds that were small were very aggressive, but others weren’t as aggressive as I expected them to be. I now think that a hummingbird's size doesn’t influence their aggression as much as their environment does. What matters is how much food they have, what birds are around them, and if they have a lot of predators, because that is going to influence whether the hummingbird will survive. If I were to do this project again I would try to make the different hummingbird bars in my graph different colors. I would also have a reason that I chose my different species of hummingbirds and not pick random species that looked cool. If you do this project, try to get data from different sites about the species to see if there are any differences.
Bibliography:
"Anna's Hummingbirds in the Fight of the Century!" Flickr. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
"Arı Kuşu / Kuş Türleri Resimleri." Arı Kuşu / Kuş Türleri Resimleri. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
"BirdNote." BirdNote. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Blue-throated Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"BluethroatedHummingbirdp." BluethroatedHummingbirdp. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Buff-bellied Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Magnificent Hummingbird - EBirdr." EBirdr. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Magnificent Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Main Page." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival Bucket List - Birds and Blooms." Birds and Blooms. N.p., 12 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Ruby-throated Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Rufous Hummingbird." , Identification, All About Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Rufous Hummingbird Photo: Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus Rufus) at Galen | the Internet Bird Collection." Rufous Hummingbird Photo: Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus Rufus) at Galen | the Internet Bird Collection. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.